Australia and Turkey will compete against each other in their opening fixture in FIFA World Cup 2026
Turkey have remained unbeaten against Australia in their past two meetings
The match will be held on June 14, 2026 9:30 am (IST) at BC Place, Vancouver
The Socceroos will take on Turkey's Crescent Stars in a crucial Group D encounter as both sides look to keep pace with tournament hosts USA, who made a statement by thrashing Paraguay 4-1 in their opening match.
Head coach Tony Popovic will be aiming to guide Australia to a positive start, while Vincenzo Montella's Turkey arrive with ambitions of securing a place in the knockout stages.
This will be just the third meeting between the two nations, with Turkey winning both previous encounters in international friendlies, including a commanding 4-1 victory.
While the Crescent Stars hold the historical advantage, World Cup football often presents a different challenge altogether. With the United States already laying down a marker in the group, both Australia and Turkey know that dropping points could leave them with little margin for error heading into their remaining fixtures.
Fans can therefore expect a fiercely contested battle between two sides eager to strengthen their qualification hopes.
Australia Vs Turkey, FIFA World Cup 2026: H2H Record
Total Matches: 2
Australia Wins: 0
Turkey Wins: 2
Draws: 0
Australia Vs Turkey, FIFA World Cup 2026: Match Prediction
Turkey enter the match as slight favourites, with experts predicting a narrow 1-0 victory for Vincenzo Montella's Crescent Stars.
The Europeans have impressed in recent months with their attacking quality and creative depth, while also carrying the psychological advantage of having won both previous meetings against Australia, including a convincing 4-1 triumph.
The Socceroos, however, are renowned for their defensive resilience and physical approach under Tony Popovic, making them a difficult side to break down.
With the United States already opening their Group D campaign in emphatic fashion by defeating Paraguay 4-1, both Australia and Turkey know that a positive result is crucial.
Expect a tightly contested battle, but Turkey's superior technical quality and attacking options could ultimately prove decisive in a hard-fought 1-0 win.
Australia Vs Turkey, FIFA World Cup 2026: Likely Starting XIs
Australia Predicted XIs:
Ryan (GK); Souttar, Burgess, Degenek; Geria, Irvine, Metcalfe, Bos; Irankunda, Yengi, Mabil
Turkey Predicted XIs:
Bayındır (Gk); Müldür, Demiral, Söyüncü, Kadıoğlu; Calhanoğlu, Özcan; Aktürkoğlu, Güler, Yıldız; Akturkoglu
Australia Vs Turkey, FIFA World Cup 2026: Match Details
Location: Vancouver
Stadium: BC Place Vancouver
Date: Sunday, 14 June
Kick-off Time: 14/06/2026 – 09:30 AM (IST)
Australia Vs Turkey, FIFA World Cup 2026: LIVE Streaming & Telecast Details
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be telecast live on Unite8 Sports network on television. For live streaming, one can catch the action on the Zee5 app and website.
Australia Vs Turkey, FIFA World Cup 2026: Squads
Australia:
Goalkeepers
Mathew Ryan, Joe Gauci, Paul Izzo.
Defenders
Harry Souttar, Cameron Burgess, Kye Rowles, Alessandro Circati, Aziz Behich, Jordan Bos, Lewis Miller, Nathaniel Atkinson, Kai Trewin.
Midfielders
Jackson Irvine, Aiden O'Neill, Connor Metcalfe, Keanu Baccus, Ryan Teague, Riley McGree, Anthony Caceres, Patrick Yazbek.
Forwards
Martin Boyle, Craig Goodwin, Brandon Borrello, Kusini Yengi, Nishan Velupillay, Daniel Arzani, Marco Tilio, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, Adrian Segecic.
Turkey:
Goalkeepers
Uğurcan Çakır, Altay Bayındır, Berke Özer.
Defenders
Merih Demiral, Çağlar Söyüncü, Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Samet Akaydın, Eren Elmalı, Mert Müldür, Zeki Çelik, Ferdi Kadıoğlu, Yusuf Akçiçek.
Midfielders
Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Orkun Kökçü, İsmail Yüksek, Salih Özcan, Okay Yokuşlu, Kaan Ayhan, İrfan Can Kahveci, Can Uzun.
Forwards
Kenan Yıldız, Arda Güler, Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Barış Alper Yılmaz, Cengiz Ünder, Semih Kılıçsoy, Bertuğ Yıldırım, Deniz Gül.
